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Reweighting South African National Household Survey Data to Create a Consistent Series Over Time: A Cross-Entropy Estimation Approach

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  • Nicola Branson
  • Martin Wittenberg

Abstract

In the absence of established longitudinal panel surveys in South Africa, national cross-sectional household survey data are frequently used to analyse change. When these data are stacked side by side, however, inconsistencies both in time trends and between household- and person-level data are found. This study uses a new set of weights calibrated to the Actuarial Society of South Africa 2003 model projected totals using a cross-entropy estimation approach. These weights are favoured because they produce consistent demographic and geographic trends. The calculated weights are similar to the initial sample weights (and hence retain the survey design benefits) but match to a series of age-sex-race and province marginal totals that are consistent over time. The weights are publicly available for the 14-year period between 1994 and 2007.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Branson & Martin Wittenberg, 2014. "Reweighting South African National Household Survey Data to Create a Consistent Series Over Time: A Cross-Entropy Estimation Approach," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 82(1), pages 19-38, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:sajeco:v:82:y:2014:i:1:p:19-38
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/saje.12017
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    Cited by:

    1. Neil Rankin & Rulof Burger & Friedrich Kreuser, 2015. "The elasticity of substitution and labour-displacing technical change in post-apartheid South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series 101, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Magejo, Prudence & Benhura, Miracle, 2015. "A Detailed Decomposition Analysis of the Public-Private Sector Wage Gap in South Africa," IZA Discussion Papers 9271, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Rulof Burger & Rachel Jafta & Dieter von Fintel, 2016. "Affirmative action policies and the evolution of post-apartheid South Africa's racial wage gap," WIDER Working Paper Series 066, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Amy Thornton & Martin Wittenberg, 2022. "Reweighting the OHS and GHS to improve data quality: Representativeness, household counts, and small households," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 90(4), pages 513-534, December.
    5. Reza C. Daniels, 2012. "A Framework for Investigating Micro Data Quality, with Application to South African Labour Market Household Surveys," SALDRU Working Papers 90, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    6. Serena Merrino, 2020. "Measuring labour earnings inequality in post-apartheid South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-32, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Neryvia Pillay Bell, 2020. "The impacts of unconditional cash transfers on schooling in adolescence and young adulthood Evidence from South Africa," Working Papers 10023, South African Reserve Bank.
    8. Friedrich Kreuser & Rulof Burger & Neil Rankin, 2015. "The elasticity of substitution and labour-displacing technical change in post-apartheid South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2015-101, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Martin Wittenberg, 2017. "Wages and Wage Inequality in South Africa 1994–2011: Part 1 – Wage Measurement and Trends," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 85(2), pages 279-297, June.
    10. Wittenberg, Martin., 2014. "Analysis of employment, real wage, and productivity trends in South Africa since 1994," ILO Working Papers 994847703402676, International Labour Organization.
    11. Jacqueline Mosomi, 2019. "Distributional changes in the gender wage gap in the post-apartheid South African labour market," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-17, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
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    13. Wittenberg, Martin & Pirouz, Farah, 2013. "The measurement of earnings in the post-Apartheid period: An overview," SALDRU Working Papers 108, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    14. Takwanisa Machemedze & Andrew Kerr & Rob Dorrington, 2020. "South African population projection and household survey sample weight recalibration," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-67, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Rulof Burger & Rachel Jafta & Dieter von Fintel, 2016. "Affirmative action policies and the evolution of post-apartheid South Africa's racial wage gap," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2016-66, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    16. Andrew Kerr & Martin Wittenberg, 2019. "Earnings and employment microdata in South Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2019-47, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    17. Anne Konrad & Jan Pablo Burgard & Ralf Münnich, 2021. "A Two‐level GREG Estimator for Consistent Estimation in Household Surveys," International Statistical Review, International Statistical Institute, vol. 89(3), pages 635-656, December.
    18. Sharp, Matthew, 2021. "The labour market impacts of female internal migration: Evidence from the end of Apartheid," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

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